Page 2 | My cat is bullying other cats in the village

MollyRover · 26/01/2023 12:00

GingerPigz · 25/01/2023 07:09

Thanks for all your replies. I did suggest the water spray and they have said that they use it and whilst it stops him fighting he stands his ground and refuses to leave (they could still chase him out as that would definitely work). They also complained about their wet lounge. The obvious answer is to get a chip cat flap so he can't get in and someone else suggested it on the fb post so hopefully they will take heed. He is a greedy cat but has dry food out all day to graze so not without nourishment. It would seem it's happening more at night so shall keep him in overnight when possible. Wish you understanding lot were my neighbours - I know it's just turf wars but can appreciate their annoyance. Thanks again

Are you crazy? Your cat is coming into their houses, making a mess and attacking their pets! Spay him and keep him inside. I can't believe that you think making him anyone else's problem is reasonable in any way.

Pinkclouds80 · 26/01/2023 12:05

If shutting him in and night is stressing him out then a pheromone plug in could be helpful - I used them after my absolute DICK of a cat had his leg amputated and it was very effective just for chilling him out.

StarDolphins · 26/01/2023 12:21

MollyRover · 26/01/2023 12:00

Are you crazy? Your cat is coming into their houses, making a mess and attacking their pets! Spay him and keep him inside. I can't believe that you think making him anyone else's problem is reasonable in any way.

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Asking someone if they’re crazy isn’t nice. what do you expect her to do, Have a word with him? He’s a cat, he’ll do what he’s able to do! He can’t live inside forever. It’s also not right to make him homeless for it. Cats are always in others gardens.

if a rat or other animal was entering your house, you’d take steps to secure your house. Or chase them out. There’s not much else you can do.

Givezero · 26/01/2023 12:44

I had a proper ginger tom, who was a complete kitten at home but an utter thug outside. I would keep him in after his evening meal rather than have him howling down the whole village. I also had a litter tray, that he very rarely used. And even if he did stay out over night I would ground him for a couple of days. I found the restrictions made him a lot more content xx

AtomicRitual · 26/01/2023 13:11

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 25/01/2023 07:17

Microchip cat flaps are the answer.

Generally, yes, but sometimes if the chasing cat is tailgating they can get through.

The issue then is they can't get out again!

...as you can tell, this has happened to us a couple of times! Thankfully we were home at the time.

Grrrrdarling · 26/01/2023 13:16

GingerPigz · 25/01/2023 05:19

Really need some advice. Our 7 yr old neutered Tom cat seems to have taken to entering other people's houses and bullying/fighting their cats (I have been made aware of this via the village fb page). Apparently he hisses, spits and howls when approached and (understandably) people are annoyed and upset by him. He has been down in the dumps lately (confirmed by the vet - nothing medically wrong with him. Might be weather related as he is a Spanish rescue cat) but not sure if that is related. Am keeping him in at the moment but that is making him even more depressed. Any ideas on how to resolve the issue (bar building him a catio - DH would never agree to that, he wants me to rehome him). Thanks

Tell others in the village to tell him off & kick him out of their houses if he displays disrespectful or horrible behaviour. They can also see him off with a water spray if he won’t comply with the request to leave.
My neighbours cats come round mine all the time, they prefer our biscuits, but if there is any unwanted behaviour they get kicked out & chased off. Even mine get told off if they are rude to guests.
My house is my cats safe space & will not allow another cat/cats to make mine feel uncomfortable in their home.

I would research cat dementia just incase but it may just be he is becoming a grumpy old man 🙄😬

MollyRover · 26/01/2023 13:42

@StarDolphins cats can and do stay inside. If people can't handle that they just shouldn't have them. If someone has a rat in their house they would surely set up a trap or poison it

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 26/01/2023 15:55

StarDolphins · 26/01/2023 12:21

Asking someone if they’re crazy isn’t nice. what do you expect her to do, Have a word with him? He’s a cat, he’ll do what he’s able to do! He can’t live inside forever. It’s also not right to make him homeless for it. Cats are always in others gardens.

if a rat or other animal was entering your house, you’d take steps to secure your house. Or chase them out. There’s not much else you can do.

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If I found a rat in my house, I would call an exterminator.

You can't really do that with someone's cat

Cats don't need to roam either - that's a very British way of thinking.

DelCalMun · 26/01/2023 23:57

This post could have been written by me. We have exactly the same problem with our lovely super friendly, perfectly healthy 5 year old neutered male rescue from another country. He lives with 2 neutered rescue females. We've had his testosterone checked, normal. He breaks into village houses (I've offered to buy them microchip cat flaps but they've declined), beats up their cats, steals their food and pees and defecates all over their houses. Tried keeping him in at night for 6 months but no good. We've kept him in 6 weeks now. Not ideal and he'll hate it come spring time. I've spoken to vets who have no solution. Rehoming is just passing the problem on to someone else (our boy has taken to peeing on guest beds in our house too - territorial not kidney problem) and we can't bear to consider euthanasia. I do feel that if the village pet owners would agree to microchip cat flaps then the problem would cease to exist but they won't 😏😢. Not sure what to do next other than suggest we have a few agreed days / times when he can go out and they keep their cats in with their cat flaps locked. It is affecting neighbourly relations.

antipodeancanary · 27/01/2023 00:12

Yup our cat does this. Rescued at 7 so neutered late in life and it doesn't seem to have had much affect on his behaviour. This is what cats do and he is getting older, wont be top cat forever. So far we have fitted a chipped cat flap in an elderly neighbours door, so he cant get in there and I have also after midnight lurked in other neighbours houses waiting for him to come through the non chipped flap, so I could clap my hands at him and spray him. Literally that was all it took. One of these neighbors is a teacher! She presumably manages to control a class of teens but couldn't clap her hands loud enough to scare a cat.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 27/01/2023 14:10

Cat proof gardens is the way ahead, My bengal was like this and it's just how their born.

Those roller systems look very effective, they use similar abroad to keep coyotes out.

AnotherEmma · 27/01/2023 19:46

OP, I think you should get a plug-in (Feliway or Pet Remedy) and keep him in overnight. Do you have a microchip cat flap yourself? If not, get one. Your neighbours should get them too - it wouldn't stop him getting in through doors and windows, and maybe following the resident cat as it goes through its own cat flap, but at least he wouldn't be able to get in freely. You can set the cat flap so that it scans the cat coming in (so only your cat can enter) but not going out (so any cat can exit). That is surely the answer. And frankly if people have a non-microchip cat flap, other cats coming in is a risk they have chosen to take.

Original poster

GingerPigz · 28/01/2023 05:39

Thanks again for all the helpful advice. We do have a chip cat flap which we have been locking and keeping him in overnight since we've been made aware of the situation. He's not at all happy about the change in routine (and, worryingly, has not seemed to use his litter tray at all 🤨). I unlock the cat flap in the morning and show him that it's open but am yet to see him go out during the day (maybe another cat rules the roost in the daytime?) I think I will physically go out and play with him today. Bought some cat toys and have been trying to play with him when I get back to work but he's not impressed with my attempts (although the premium cat nip was a hit!). Hopefully he will settle into this new way of life before summer when the windows are open and it's a free for all...

OP posts:

Snugglemonkey · 28/01/2023 05:51

GingerPigz · 28/01/2023 05:39

Thanks again for all the helpful advice. We do have a chip cat flap which we have been locking and keeping him in overnight since we've been made aware of the situation. He's not at all happy about the change in routine (and, worryingly, has not seemed to use his litter tray at all 🤨). I unlock the cat flap in the morning and show him that it's open but am yet to see him go out during the day (maybe another cat rules the roost in the daytime?) I think I will physically go out and play with him today. Bought some cat toys and have been trying to play with him when I get back to work but he's not impressed with my attempts (although the premium cat nip was a hit!). Hopefully he will settle into this new way of life before summer when the windows are open and it's a free for all...

If your car is that much of a menace you cannot allow open windows and a free for all. Or you need to adapt your garden to keep him in.

Theunamedcat · 28/01/2023 06:00

GingerPigz · 28/01/2023 05:39

Thanks again for all the helpful advice. We do have a chip cat flap which we have been locking and keeping him in overnight since we've been made aware of the situation. He's not at all happy about the change in routine (and, worryingly, has not seemed to use his litter tray at all 🤨). I unlock the cat flap in the morning and show him that it's open but am yet to see him go out during the day (maybe another cat rules the roost in the daytime?) I think I will physically go out and play with him today. Bought some cat toys and have been trying to play with him when I get back to work but he's not impressed with my attempts (although the premium cat nip was a hit!). Hopefully he will settle into this new way of life before summer when the windows are open and it's a free for all...

No pee at all or no pee overnight?

Theunamedcat · 28/01/2023 06:01

MollyRover · 26/01/2023 12:00

Are you crazy? Your cat is coming into their houses, making a mess and attacking their pets! Spay him and keep him inside. I can't believe that you think making him anyone else's problem is reasonable in any way.

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Literally the first part says he is spayed

AnotherEmma · 28/01/2023 09:23

Female cats are spayed, male cats are neutered.

TroysMammy · 28/01/2023 09:37

My partner suggested a light box if your cat is down in the dumps. No help I know but he uses his for SAD.

As he's a Spanish rescue is the change in language causing him a problem or is he bilingual? Perhaps the village could learn a few Spanish phrases when shooing him away.

Tabbytabs · 28/01/2023 16:21

We have a local cat like this. Will come into your house, beat your cats up and eat their food. I only had a tiny girl cat up until 2 years ago. She’s a feisty bitch and will take on anyone, but she’s only 3kg so was no match for him. He used to come in all the time and intimidate her and eat her food. I found out he was scared of the hoover, so every time I found him in our house I chased him out with the stick vacuum. I got 2 huge boy cats 2 years ago and he hasn’t even entered our garden since! Tell your neighbours to get some big boy cats or a stick vacuum!! Give it time and the hierarchy will sort itself out.

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 28/01/2023 16:29

AnotherEmma · 28/01/2023 09:23

Female cats are spayed, male cats are neutered.

Male cats are castrated. The term 'neutered' can be used either for spaying or castration.

AnotherEmma · 28/01/2023 16:29

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 28/01/2023 16:29

Male cats are castrated. The term 'neutered' can be used either for spaying or castration.

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Yes good point

Floralnomad · 28/01/2023 16:41

Why not cat proof your garden , that way he gets to go out and stays out of other peoples houses .

Jenjeng · 28/01/2023 19:38

Another issue with him breaking into houses... what if he comes face to face with a resident dog?
I don't have cats but have 5 living either side of me. They would all use my garden as a toilet, including in my poor tortoises house. And seemed undeterred by the fact I have a huge, definitely not cat friendly dog. One started trying to come into the house and the owners were extremely unhelpful when told about the situation. I ended up having to add cat proof fencing on top of my original fence at my own expense to try and stop the feline invasion. My dog would 100% have eaten any cat he got hold of, and I have children so don't want cat poo everywhere!
I think you need to cat proof your garden to keep him in and not leave it to everyone else to deal with the problem for you! Being on the receiving end of nuisance cats is pain in the bum!